Bow and Arrow
by PaolaAdara
Summary: When the season of hearts rolls in, some go crazy over what to do, some go berserk over uncalled for surprises, and still some turn into mush as Cupid hits his targets with dead on accuracy. Sequel to Here They Go Again.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Bow and Arrow (1/2)

Author: Paola

Disclaimer: _Bow and Arrow_ is based on characters and situations that belong to Sotsu Agency, Bandai Studios, and TV Asashi (and other production affiliates that have the right of ownership). No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Considerations: Similarities to other stories/events/passages are purely coincidental unless otherwise cited.

**_Bow and Arrow: Part One_ - 13 February C.E. 72**

"What's tomorrow again?" Yzak smirked at the pacing Coordinator from across the room. He uncrossed his legs and raised his eyebrows amusedly when Dearka glared at him.

"Shut up!" Dearka shot back, pausing for a small while to snarl at the chuckling fair-head. He continued to pace the length of the room for a few more seconds before he found the space too lengthy for his liking. He paused again before resuming his restless activity, covering only a quarter of the previous space this time.

Yzak laughed again. "I swear…if I didn't know any better, I'd say you think pacing a smaller stretch of floor is more dramatic than actually walking back and forth a long one."

Dearka rolled his eyes, deciding against telling the former Duel pilot that he kind of guessed right. He'd seen it on TV and in the silver screen, and the protagonists would always pace in a small stretch of space. Dearka narrowed his eyes at nothing, wondering why he even had the time to think of those stupid things. But what the hell, he always liked looking the coolest.

He frowned. _Feh._

The fair-head adopted a scrutinizing gaze. "Why do I get the feeling that what I said was the biblical truth?"

"…Biblical truth my foot. Where the hell do you get all this crap from?" he irritably asked, sharply extending his hand in a sweeping gesture. "And stop interrupting my thoughts, you freak!" he resumed his once-again interrupted pacing

Yzak bristled at being called a freak, and he had to clench his fist to keep himself from flinging the vase on the side table beside the couch he was occupying, at Dearka. It was bad enough that Cagalli was so fond of calling him "haro man," and Dearka always calling him names was just too much. But he doubted the owner of the house would be downright happy with him destroying her property. He might be known for his short fuse, but Yzak had always known when to keep a rein on his anger and to let play his common sense.

The fair-head settled for glaring at the blonde. "I don't see the point of you stressing yourself out over tomorrow," he deadpanned after a short while. "It happens every year anyway."

"It's the first time with Miriallia. And what do you know anyway? It's not like you're romantically involved with your fiancée."

Yzak snorted. "Hearing that from you makes it sound like you're planning to sleep with Haw."

Dearka looked thoughtful for a while before eyeing Yzak slyly. "Or maybe that's why you're flying up to PLANT tomorrow…for a Valentine getaway with Hahnenfuss!" he exclaimed, clearly ignoring Yzak's comment.

Instead of seething with anger, Yzak merely looked at Dearka dully. "If visiting my sick mother means a 'Valentine getaway with Hahnenfuss,' then yes, I'm off to a night of pleasure."

Dearka was, in all practicality, shocked to the tips of his blonde hair. "Wow! You ain't trying to skin me alive with that one!"

The fair-head sighed exasperatedly. He stood up and lazily smoothed the wrinkles of his shirt. "I don't know why I waste my time on you." He shook his head before walking past Dearka and out of the room.

Dearka stood alone in the huge living room, debating whether to get offended by what Yzak said or not, but since he didn't really care what Yzak thought of him, he dismissed his thoughts and promptly went back to planning his first Valentine's Day with Miriallia. He paced once more, rejecting one idea after another as he thought each of them boring, conventional, and just plain corny.

Just before he could polish---or more like: wear away---the marble with the repeated passage of his shoes on the floor, a familiar head poked itself in the archway. He smiled when she blew away the hair that had fallen over her eyes.

"Hey, Dearka…"

He ran a hand through his blonde tresses, which were already quite messy since he'd been doing the same act every time he would get frustrated over a paltry idea. "Yeah?"

Miriallia fully stepped inside the threshold. She placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head to the side as she spied the unkempt locks of the former Buster pilot. "Mm…" She relaxed her arms and let them sway at her sides as she closed the distance between them. She stood erect in front of him then brought her hands up to his head. Splaying out her fingers, she raked them through her boyfriend's hair.

Stopping midway through, she held his head, and titled it backwards, grinning when Dearka raised his eyebrows in question. "Messy, messy, messy." She loosened her hold and let the silky strands slide past her fingers when he moved his head towards its prior position. "It's so obvious when you're thinking of something really serious. What are you thinking about then?"

He angled his head and grinned at her. "You." His grin grew wider when Miriallia instantaneously blushed.

"Oh yeah?" She defiantly raised her head, resting her hip on the back of the settee and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Not really."

She raised an eyebrow. "Not really?"

"I might have thought of someone else."

"Someone else."

Dearka shrugged. "Couldn't always be you."

"Couldn't always be me."

The blonde playfully flicked her on the forehead. "Are you going to keep on parroting me?"

"Of course not!"

"You sound jealous…"

"I do _not_!"

Dearka smirked. "Then how come you look like you can't believe that I'm thinking of someone else?" There he knew he got her since Miriallia's eyes suddenly widened.

A pregnant pause ensued, then Miriallia wisely narrowed her eyes at the smirking blonde. "It's a free country. Think what you want." She turned around to leave. "And to think I have something important to tell you. Oh well. See you around, Elsman."

"See you," Dearka intoned, believing that he still had the upper hand. His victorious smirk, however, turned into a defeated frown when it seemed that Miriallia wasn't kidding when her actions implied she really was leaving. He shot out of his position when his girlfriend's figure disappeared around the arch. "Hey!"

Miriallia slowly turned around, just in time to see the former Buster pilot stumble out of the living room. "You called?"

He stopped a foot away from her. "You really thought I was telling the truth?"

Miriallia eyed him calculatingly, noting the sliver of annoyance shining through his amethyst orbs. "Weren't you?"

Dearka dramatically rolled his eyes. "Of course I wasn't!"

"Of course."

He sighed exasperatedly…although he did put a lot of exaggeration to it. "I hate it when you play with my mind."

Miriallia looked shocked…and very much so. "I wouldn't do that! You know I know that you _don't_ have a mind!"

Despite himself, Dearka lazily smiled, crossing his arms in front of him. "Don't be cute."

"Fine…I'll cut to the chase." Miriallia took a drag of air and relaxed her stance. She idly noticed a wayward bunch of strands sticking out quite notably from the rest of Dearka's untidy curls. She tilted her head to the side, slightly debating whether to smoothen it out or let it be. She sighed.

Dearka uncrossed his arms and stuffed his hands in his pockets, shifting his weight to another foot as he waited for her to start talking. If anybody had told him back during the war that Miriallia was playful, he would most probably be rolling on the floor and laughing his ass off. He'd have had a hard time picturing in his mind a playful Miriallia especially since she had tried to drive a knife through his face. Unless, of course, they had stepped into a twisted and perverse reality in which _good _playful meant sadistic actions.

_Nah._

But he'd always be eternally grateful that he was given the chance to actually _see_ her playful---on a positive note---side.

He raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you supposed to be opening your mouth now so you can tell me what it is that you have to tell me?"

She giggled. "I knew you wouldn't be _that_ patient." She stepped closer and patted him on the head like how a proud owner would his pet.

He swatted her hand away and quickly stole a kiss. "I'm no dog, sweetheart. So, what do you have in mind?"

"It's about tomorrow."

"Oh?" Now he was curious. He had spent half of his afternoon trying to plan a Valentine special for her, and he didn't think she would actually approach him with a proposal for tomorrow. "So…what about it?"

"I won't be here tomorrow."

Dearka's eyes widened. _What?_ He was utterly and unquestionably floored. Here he was thinking she had planned their day tomorrow only to find out that what she was planning was going away. Boy, did he waste his afternoon! "Pardon?" Dearka glared…she had the gall to smile!

"Aww…don't feel bad."

He peered at her through sarcastically lidded eyes. "Should I be jumping for joy? Come on, Miriallia. You know I was never a romantic sap, but…it's our first Valentine's together!" He threw his hands in the air in an emphatic gesture.

"I know…but---"

"Tell me you're kidding!"

"No, I'm not. Dad, mom, and I have to fly to London tomorrow for my cousin's wedding on Sunday."

Dearka rubbed his temples as he felt the telltale signs of an oncoming headache. "Great! And I was just thinking of what we could do tomorrow to celebrate the fourteenth."

Miriallia smirked. "And you thought of something real good?"

"What do you think?"

She gave a non-committal shrug.

Dearka's shoulders drooped in defeat. "All right…I haven't thought of a good thing…_yet_. But still…" he just hated it whenever he would start sounding whiny.

"Knew it." She walked behind him and pushed him towards the great double doors that led outside. "But you didn't let me finish earlier. What I was saying was," she pushed open one of the doors and led him through it, "I was thinking of celebrating Valentine's in advance!"

The late afternoon sun greeted them. Dearka let Miriallia pull him along as he decided to keep his frown intact for a while longer…just to show his discontent. He knew he couldn't do anything about his girlfriend's schedule, and he wasn't exactly bitter about it, but he wanted to see if his frowning could get him anything nice from the brunette. She didn't have to know immediately that he had no problems with celebrating heart's day a day earlier. As he'd said a few minutes ago, he wasn't a romantic...he just wanted them to have a fun time tomorrow, for his sake if not for her. After all, tomorrow was the anniversary of the destruction of Junius 7. He might not have loved ones who died there like Athrun, but those who were mercilessly killed in the colony were Coordinators…just like him. And, just like him, they were the ones the world had shunned before and during the Bloody Valentine War.

He shook his head. He really didn't want to think about that right now, so with a resigned intake of breath, he hurried his steps and walked just beside Miriallia. "Where are we going?"

She turned her head and just smiled at him.

**o-o**

"Be sure you don't do anything funny tomorrow, Cagalli. We don't want anyone knowing you're the Princess of Orb…not until you've officially taken the position at least."

Cagalli rolled her eyes as she listened to her guardian. He'd told her this a thousand times. Was she so stubborn as to need the same thing repeated to her again and again before she got it? She sighed…she guessed she couldn't blame Kisaka.

Athrun was flying to PLANT early tomorrow morning, and she'd decided to come with him. She knew how important tomorrow was for Athrun, and she just wanted to be there for the blue-head…not that that was the reason she gave Kisaka when he had first asked why she wanted to head to PLANT with Athrun. She might be open about a lot of things, but there were still some things she preferred keeping to herself…especially if it concerned her relationship with the former Justice pilot.

"You're worse than an expecting mother. Honestly, Kisaka, am I that bad?"

"Yes," Kisaka and Mana chorused, and Cagalli hung her head in utmost surrender.

"Athrun and Yzak will be there in the shuttle with me. I'm fairly sure I can behave like them. And I AM NOT A KID!"

Kisaka had suggested they rode a public shuttle to avoid suspicion and undue attention. Since Yzak was also heading to PLANT to visit his sick mother, the three of them had booked the same flight.

"Do not shout, Princess. It's unbecoming of the Heiress of Orb," Mana chided, clucking her tongue. "And Misters Zala and Jule are soldiers, so you need to do more to be able to behave like them."

"You wouldn't be saying that if you knew Yzak as much as I do. And Athrun ain't that behaved either." Cagalli tried to stare icily at Mana, but her nanny's stern visage promptly dissolved Cagalli's endeavors.

"Then behave like them when they're around us," Mana hurriedly shot back, effectively silencing the blonde's attempts at defending herself.

Cagalli saw a flash of brown pass by the open door of the library. Grabbing the opportunity to get away, she closed the book she'd been reading---reading until Kisaka and Mana decided to bear down on her---and hurriedly called out, "Kira! Help!"

Just as she expected, the brunette re-appeared by the door, looking alarmed at her frantic voice. Extricating herself from Kisaka and Mana's meaningful stares, she almost tripped as she ran towards Kira, and almost knocked him over when she flew straight into his unexpected arms in a struggle to block Mana's outraged calls. His solid presence, however, stopped her momentum, and she quickly closed the door as soon as her feet were firmly set on the floor.

Cagalli let out a triumphant breath and slowly turned towards her brother. The brunette looked lost and Cagalli cocked her head to the side. "Kira? You look dazed."

"…I got the wind knocked out of me. Lose some weight, Cagalli."

"WHAT!"

Kira almost shrank at the glare Cagalli was dealing him, and he all but ran as he tried to parry the punches being thrown at him.

**o-o**

Dearka eyed the sign high above the entrance skeptically. He never had the impression that Miriallia was the kind of girl who enjoyed these kinds of things, though he didn't exactly figure her out as the type to look for classical dates like fine-dining dinner, movies, plays, et cetera, either. He'd actually expected her to be one of those few who'd rather enjoy a valentine's night at home with her significant other. And he wouldn't mind that either since he really thought---with every cliché and corny and mushy fiber in his being---he'd have fun just being with her. After all, she really was full of surprises…just take now for example.

"Miriallia?" he finally spoke, still allowing the brunette to pull him along.

She looked over her shoulder but continued pursuing the direction she was taking. "Yes, Dearka?"

"Cagalli hasn't been influencing you, right?"

Miriallia paused, just a few feet shy from the end of the queue. "What's Cagalli got to do with this?" she asked, looking cutely flummoxed. Then her eyes twinkled and she waved their tickets in the air. "Oh, you mean this?"

"…Not really. But let's hear about the tickets."

Miriallia mockingly glared at him. "You're acting weird." She waved their tickets in the air again in a dismissive motion. "Let's you and I line up." She pulled him and they stood at the end of the queue. "It's the amusement's park's anniversary today. Cagalli bought two tickets a week ago for her and Athrun, but since they're leaving for PLANT tomorrow, she gave it to me. Said she'd probably be spending the day trying to placate Kisaka and Mana…and something about Athrun I didn't quite catch. Now we're here," she answered as the line progressed steadily.

"Oh."

Miriallia handed their tickets to the man by the turnstile, retrieving their stubs right after the man ripped them off the main tickets. They entered past the turnstile as soon as the man stamped the back of their palms with the park's emblem.

Dearka sidestepped to avoid being run over by two hyperactive kids gallivanting around with a colored balloon in each hand. He inspected the scene before him with a casual eye, stuffing his hands in his pockets as the noise of laughter and excitement invaded his personal space. Even if he had yet to see the entire park, he suspected just how enormous the place probably was. Off by the distance was the large Ferris wheel and to his far right was the humongous roller coaster, whose passengers' screams were heard all the way to where the blonde was standing. And just in front of them was the carousel, which, according to Dearka, should only be ridden once since it would wreak havoc to anyone's stomach. Other rides were scattered here and there, and the queues were unsurprisingly organized.

He followed a cobbled path to the right, pace relaxed, just like the brunette beside him. "I didn't know you like amusement parks."

She giggled, eyes wandering over the different things in the park. "Not particularly. But I go now and then. It isn't all because of Cagalli, you know." She snidely looked at him. "Why, you think I don't have an exciting bone in my body?"

Dearka's eyes widened and he hurriedly shook his hands in front of him in a defensive gesture. "No! Of course not! Wherever do you get those silly ideas?" He massaged his nape, laughing uncertainly.

Miriallia smiled immediately, proud of herself for once again making Dearka fidget in his skin. For some twisted reason, she just liked doing it. And, of course, she wouldn't tell him about it. Let him figure it out himself. "Good to hear that."

Dearka let out a relieved sigh then inwardly shrugged. "All these months and still there are lots about you I don't know squat about."

"Mm." Miriallia hooked her arm around the crook of his elbow. "No rush. Plenty of days ahead."

"Hn."

"But let's start today. See that?" Miriallia pointed at the speeding cars of the gigantic roller coaster.

"Yeah…"

"It's one of my favorite rides. Let's start with it."

Dearka allowed himself to be pulled again, and by the time they were almost near the roller coaster, he spied a guy throwing up on the grass some odd feet away from them. "You sure about this?" he asked, casting an uncertain glance at Miriallia, then at the loopy tracks of the roller coaster, then back at the barfing guy.

Miriallia followed his line of sight. "Don't tell me that's likely to happen to you!" Her eyes widened as she moved a little away from him, her hand covering her mouth as if in shock.

Dearka appeared cutely miffed. "What am I? A five-year-old?" His sarcasm came back and bit a big chunk off his pride when his "nice" girlfriend placed a finger against her chin as if to contemplate his words.

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

Dearka slightly narrowed his eyes at the brunette before unexpectedly seizing the aforementioned finger to pull her closer. He then placed a small kiss on the side of her mouth. "If you think some sissy ride scares me, then, by Genesis, Miriallia, we have to work on your familiarity skills," he whispered, playfully nipping at her ear after the last word had been uttered.

The brunette blushed beet red as the contact proved to be a sharp contrast to the cool afternoon winds.

"Answer what again?" Dearka asked smirking that sexy smirk that almost made Miriallia want to whack him senseless...at least she would want to do that if her mind weren't so unfocused.

Dearka noted how Miriallia's eyes remained a tad hazy. It would always amuse him how she could easily get flustered by intimate contacts when they were out in public…especially since she was getting so confident with him behind closed doors.

"Huh? What?"

"Nothing. Let's go ride that roller coaster of yours," Dearka intoned, this time pulling a slightly dazed Miriallia by her wrist.

By the time Miriallia finally snapped out of it---with the help of an excited cry from the teenager in front of them---she was already strapped in her seat and was only allowed a small range of movement, thereby making it difficult to bop Dearka on the head. She settled for stepping on his toes instead.

"HEY! What was that for?"

Miriallia haughtily looked the other way. "You weren't supposed to get the ball from my court!" she harrumphed.

And so began their advance celebration of the day dedicated to lovers all around the globe.

**o-o**

Athrun entered the library in search of a book to occupy his mind. As much as possible, he didn't want to think of why they were flying up to PLANT tomorrow. He'd deal with his emotions when he got there, but for now, he'd be the soldier he was made to be, and that meant facing the things that mattered at the moment and not his feelings and sentiments.

He was slightly surprised to see Yzak sitting on one of the leather couches with is feet propped on the Queen Anne coffee table and crossed at the ankles, looking very much immersed in the book he was reading. Yzak didn't appear to have noticed him entering so he walked quietly towards a particular shelf so as not to disturb him.

"No greetings?"

Athrun was subtly surprised at his words. He should have known better than to assume that the fair-head didn't notice him; after all, Yzak was a soldier, too. He turned his head towards the former Duel pilot, whom he knew didn't even bother to look up upon voicing out his thoughts.

"It's creepy to know someone's staring at you," Yzak continued, again surprising Athrun.

"What are you reading?" Athrun finally asked.

"Something that doesn't concern you," Yzak deadpanned.

Athrun almost sighed exasperatedly. Of course, what the hell did he expect? He even wondered why he even asked that in the first place…and he wondered, too, why Yzak was being uncharacteristically quiet. Usually, the fair-head would be raising fire and brimstone by now.

Preferring to ignore Yzak's sarcasm, Athrun shook his head and tried to find a book to entertain him. They continued pursuing their activities in silence, but Yzak spoke again after a while.

"Zala," he called.

Athrun retuned another book back to the shelf after reading the blurb. "Yeah?"

Yzak seemed to hesitate for a second. "…Do me a favor, will you?"

For the third time that night, Yzak Jule managed to surprise the former Justice pilot. "…What favor?"

Yzak turned a page, and the sound it caused reverberated in the once-again quiet room. "You're visiting the Valentine Memorial tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah…"

The Valentine Memorial was built to honor those who died in Junius Seven. All the little things the ZAFT Reconnaissance Team could gather from the wreckage were brought back to the PLANTs, and each of the items' owners were identified. Those memorabilia were buried at the Valentine Memorial in lieu of the bodies that could scarcely be recovered. It was also where Siegel Clyne had declared that he would resist the Earth Alliance to the very end.

Yzak closed the book with a soft thud. He stood up and looked at Athrun without the slightest trace of the usual hostility saved just for the blue-head. He slid his hand inside his trouser pocket and retrieved a small, fine, white gold chain. He raised it to his eye level then held it out to Athrun.

Athurn took it and eyed it with a critical eye. It was a simple, white gold filigree with a unicorn pendant suspended from it. He looked up and stared at Yzak funny. "I didn't know you cared."

Yzak scowled, and his even voice ascended when he spoke, "It's not for you, asshole!"

The former Justice pilot had the gall to laugh, and it was so obviously written on Yzak's face how much he wanted to throw the book at Athrun. "I know."

Yzak scowled once again then unceremoniously plopped down the seat he had vacated. "There's a gravestone there with 'Jule' on it."

Athrun understood what he had to do with the bracelet, which was small and seemed to be for a toddler. "Who is it?"

Yzak remained silent, and Athrun wasn't surprised that the fair-head didn't want to talk about it. Through all the years they had known each other, Yzak never shared anything personal to him, and he doubted Yzak did to any other person for that matter. It was because of this that Athrun was highly surprised when Yzak's voice sailed though the air.

"Mother adopted a kid and sent her to a small school in Junius Seven. She wanted her far away from anything politically related, and we would often visit her there. I don't think I'll be able to visit her this time though."

Athrun remembered some of Yzak's files for leaves of absence. Some of the files had Junius Seven written on the location where Yzak had informed ZAFT he would be.

When the pale-head didn't add anything after a few more seconds, Athrun knew better than to pry. "All right." He returned to perusing the titles of the books in the shelf.

Just before Yzak could thank Athrun, the library door opened and in came Lacus, pink hair bouncing in a neat ponytail as she tried to hush Mr. Pink.

"Lacus," Athrun greeted, hand poised over the spine of the book he was about to pluck from the shelf.

The pink princess looked up and smiled upon seeing the two former Reds, and was more than happy to notice that there was no apparent scuffle and no life-threatening injuries on either boy. "Hello, Athrun! And hello to you, too Yzak!"

Yzak merely grunted to acknowledge her presence before he returned his full attention to the book he was reading.

"Mm," Lacus hummed as she pressed a finger against her chin. "Cagalli was looking for you a while ago," she informed Athrun, clasping Haro in her other hand securely.

Athrun pulled out the book that caught his interest. "Is that so?"

Lacus beamed at him. She walked over the side table at the opposite end of the couch Yzak was occupying and picked up the paperback that lay atop it. "If I remember well, I think she said she needed you to help her 'beat the living daylights out of Kira.'"

The blue-head gave an amused smile, half because of how Yzak scooted farther to his side of the couch when Haro bounced out of Lacus' hand and onto the dark settee, and half because of his significant other's _dire _need of him. "Why am I not surprised?"

Lacus wagged her finger disapprovingly at her toy when Haro began nearing Yzak. "Let's not disturb Yzak, Mr. Pink." She scooped the pink toy in her hand.

"Uh…thanks…?"

Athrun absent-mindedly thumbed the edges of the book he was holding as his attention was currently held captive by the funny display in front of him. Yzak, at the moment, looked more like an uncertain kid than a soldier that Athrun had to swallow his laughter or he'd really be staying permanently on Yzak's hit list.

"Anyway, I just came to get my book." Lacus swiped her bangs away from her eyes as she had forgotten to wear the golden clip that usually did the job. She walked back towards the door. "I'm going to see if Kira is still alive."

Athrun laughed and followed her. "I'll go with you."

"I hope it's not because you're going to give Cagalli a hand."

"I doubt she still needs it."

Lacus smiled at Athrun and waved a hand at Yzak before disappearing out the door. Athrun, on the other hand, lingered for a second. He turned towards the former Duel pilot as he pocketed the bracelet Yzak had handed him a while ago.

"What?" Yzak irritably asked when he noticed Athrun.

"I'll get this to her."

Yzak paused in the middle of turning another page. He looked up and nodded his thanks. "I'll even be more grateful if you can keep Athha off my nerves for the entire trip tomorrow."

"See, now, that's gonna cost you." Athrun opted to drop his teasing and immediately shut the door when Yzak finally seemed like he was ready to throw the hardbound book at him.

**o-o**

After five rounds on the roller coaster and other rides---not to mention the short time it took for Dearka to hit the bull's eye on the firing range to get Miriallia a colorful and squishy jester's hat---the blonde Coordinator found himself drinking orange juice with the said Natural at the portico of an almost empty juice bar a block from the amusement park. He surveyed his surroundings and spied a few odd numbers of customers still inside the establishment and an elderly couple at the far end of the portico. It was already late and a few stars dotted the expanse of velvety sky the awnings allowed him to view.

He returned his gaze to Miriallia, who was contentedly sipping her tall glass of ice-cold orange juice. Itching to straighten her jester's hat that had fallen askew, he reached over the table and flicked one side of the hat. He slightly frowned when nothing happened.

Miriallia looked at him, amused. "And what are you doing, might I ask?" she smiled, fixing the hat herself. She'd seen it at the display and had promptly asked Dearka to win it for her.

He propped his elbow on the tabletop and rested his chin on the heel of his palm. "I was trying to get it straight."

"Hn." She took it off and held it in front of her with both hands, eyeing it affectionately before turning her green orbs at Dearka. "Thanks for this again."

Dearka blushed when he noticed the affectionate quality in her eyes was far greater than when she was staring at the hat. "Ah…it-it's…noth---it was too easy to get anyway!" he answered, starting off with an awkward stutter and finishing with a bragging display.

Miriallia giggled. "Arrogant bastard." She noted Dearka's empty glass then stood up, offering her hand to the blonde. "Let's walk home." Miriallia waited while he checked his watch, and she inwardly smiled when she noticed it was the same watch he'd worn on New Year's Eve---the ordinary digital watch she'd bought him.

He nodded, setting aside the receipt of their purchase---at least that was what it was before he'd torn it into a hundred pieces. He clasped her hand in his and pulled himself up.

"Heavy," Miriallia jokingly muttered. As they stepped out of the protection of the awnings, the cold night breeze blew, sending dried leaves skittering across the concrete. She shivered a little and retrieved her hand from Dearka's to pull her jacket tighter around her.

"Still cold?"

She looked at him and almost bopped him on the head upon seeing that he had not brought a jacket with him. Why she hadn't noticed earlier was beyond her. Frowning for a second, she took off her jester's hat, stood on her tiptoes, and plopped the squishy headpiece on her boyfriend's head, promptly garnering a questioningly glance from him. She shrugged. "…At least wear it so you won't catch a cold."

"I'm a Coordinator."

She raised an eyebrow and smirked uncharacteristically. "Is that supposed to have an effect on me? If I remember well, it wasn't _me_ who couldn't tell _spoilt_ milk from not because of a _super _bad cold!"

Dearka instantly blushed at the reminder. He moved his head the other way to hide the red tint that had viciously crept up his tanned cheeks. "It's not gonna happen again," he weakly retorted.

"Sure…" Miriallia didn't sound convinced. "But wear the hat anyway so it really _won't_ happen _again_." She giggled when Dearka allowed a small defeated nod, still not looking at her.

They strolled down the sidewalk in comfortable silence. Surprisingly enough, there were only a few vehicles coming up and down the road. The streetlamps provided a soft luminescence as both teenagers walked side-by-side toward the residential area of that side of the city.

"This isn't such a bad way to spend Valentine's, huh?" Miriallia asked, swinging their entwined hands to and fro.

Dearka adjusted the hat with his free hand and sighed. He looked over at her and took note of the small smile gracing her lips. In retrospect, they spent the entire afternoon like those usual dates they went to. They talked, they laughed, they joked around. There weren't even enough romantic sessions to consider their day a Valentine celebration, but Dearka thought that irrelevant. Most people would probably disagree with him on that one, but the two of them were not most people. "Yeah."

Miriallia suddenly turned her head to stare straight at Dearka's amethyst orbs as she felt him eyeing her. "What?"

The blonde's eyes widened and he blushed yet again as he got caught. "N-nothing…" he trailed off.

Giggling a little, Miriallia spoke, "Don't worry your blonde head, I'll call you when I get to London." She giggled more when his cheeks turned redder.

"I wasn't worrying about that!" Caught yet again.

Miriallia rolled her eyes in response.

"Honest, I wasn't!"

They crossed the wide intersection as soon as the red light for the vehicles blinked on. Miriallia continued to laugh at him, and he was torn between telling her the truth and keeping it to himself. If her told her the truth, she would have more ammunition against him, so he very wisely opted for the second choice.

They turned another street and found the wide and long expanse of asphalt and sidewalks empty. Dearka halted, making the laughing brunette stop dead in her tracks since their hands were still linked together. Tugging slightly at her hand, he made her face him, and he quickly flicked her nose.

Miriallia jolted out of her laughing spree.

"You're having too much fun at my expense."

She blinked.

He waited.

Then she giggled again. "It's really funny to get you so flustered."

"Is that so?" he let go of her hand and quickly assessed their empty surroundings, all the while keeping his girlfriend unaware of his actions.

Miriallia's laughter was cut off when she felt a sudden tug, and next thing she knew, their personal spaces were non-existent and Dearka's face was hovering just inches above her face. Her eyes widened, but before she could utter a word, Dearka beat her to it.

"Happy Valentine's, Miriallia Haw," he whispered.

The husky tone sent shivers running up and down her spine, and Dearka's next move obliterated all coherent thoughts, including the observation of the falling jester's hat. She had a nanosecond of a chance to witness the naughty glint in his eyes before hers shut in their own volition.

The brown-haired Natural succumbed to the enticing pull of the former Buster pilot's kiss, only to have her system revert into alarm mode when she felt the trail of hot kisses moving on her neck.

Dearka smirked when he sensed Miriallia turn rigid. He knew how uncomfortable she got during intimate encounters in public, but he was having too much fun to let her have her way at the moment. "Relax," he breathed against the creamy flesh of the base of her throat. "We're the only ones here." That didn't work just yet, and he immediately landed a playful lick on the hollow of her collarbone where he knew he would receive a sensitized quiver from her. Then and there, his lovely brunette turned into mush.

Miriallia felt the all too familiar weakness in her knees as Dearka worked her into an irrational frenzy, and she almost hated him for knowing just how to do that. He always surprised her with his knowledge of the right spots to kiss, lick, and nip.

She sensed him drawing an invisible line down her sides while his other hand rested comfortably on her hip. And she almost jumped when he let his hand wander inside her shirt, tracing intricate patterns on the small of her back.

Dearka smiled against her jaw. No matter how many times he had touched her, he always got that same surprised reaction, which, he had long ago discovered, only served to fuel his naughty streak.

A light tug on his hair made him lose contact with the skin he was presently having fun kissing.

Through sensually hazy eyes, Miriallia looked at Dearka. "I'm gonna get you for this next time."

Dearka briefly wondered if she was talking about him getting her to agree to make-out in public or---his thoughts came to a dead halt when she wrapped her arms around his neck, stood on her tiptoes, and sealed their lips in a searing kiss.

God, he loved that woman. Although the celebration of their first Valentine's together was quite unexpected, he'd had the most fun since the day they got together. And as they kissed under the glow of a streetlamp, Dearka belatedly realized what had really curtailed his thoughts a little earlier…

It was Miriallia's words before she locked her lips with his…

"_I love you, Dearka."_

-To Be Continued…

Reference/s:

"Haro man" is from my multi-chaptered story: _Mobile Suit Gundam SEED: Life After War_

Author's notes:

…Better late than never…Sorry, sorry. Please drop a review if you can. And I'd appreciate, too, if you'll read and review _What Weakness Is Not_ and all my other literary ventures.

For those who are reading my Holiday specials for the first time: To fully get the significance of the "ordinary watch" scene, read _Here They Go Again_, and for the "spoilt milk" scene, read _The Yuletide Comes A-Wassailing_. All my Holiday fics are inter-connected, though each can stand independently. You can check my profile for the order of the Holiday fics.

Much thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

Title:Bow and Arrow (2/2)

Author:Paola

Disclaimer: _Bow and Arrow_ is based on characters and situations that belong to Sotsu Agency, Bandai Studios, and TV Asashi (and other production affiliates that have the right of ownership). No money is being made, and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Considerations:Similarities to other stories/events/passages are purely coincidental unless otherwise cited.

**_Bow and Arrow: Part Two_ – 14 February C.E. 72**

They were seated at the middle aisle, and the shuttle had taken off thirty minutes ago. Lacus and Kira had seen them off while Dearka was off to an airport as Miriallia's flight to London was that same early morning, too.

Cagalli sighed. She was seated between Athrun and Yzak, and she had nothing remotely interesting to do. She checked her watch. They'd only been air and space-borne for almost forty minutes, and here she was, feeling restless. She glanced at Athrun only to see his dark sunglasses sitting imperiously on the bridge of his nose and his head tilting back and resting comfortably against the headrest. It was either he was asleep or he was pretending very skillfully to be asleep. Either way, she thought it best to leave him alone. Surely the guy was thinking deeply about something if he weren't even paying her notice. Truth be told, she wasn't exactly affected by it. She had an inkling of how much Athrun must've been paying the toll to keep his composure and peace of mind intact despite the---she was sure of it---upcoming emotional visit to his mother's grave. Athrun wasn't as expressive in his feelings as his best friend, Kira, and Cagalli had already discovered how Athrun was inclined to keep his feelings and sentiments to himself.

Cagalli openly observed the former Justice pilot.

It wasn't a healthy habit, what he was wont to do, but Cagalli had never believed in trying to change anyone just because she _thought _she knew what was supposedly right and wrong. But what she did believe in was that Athrun needed just one person he could be himself with. To whom he wouldn't be hesitant to unload bottled up emotions, to vent, and to even cry in front of. Cagalli might not be the most sensitive person, the best adviser, and generally the best person to be a shoulder to cry on, but she'd try…for him.

With a slight blush and the certainty she hadn't expected to have, she placed a hand on his arm and gave him a fond and re-assuring squeeze. There was no response, but she didn't expect any to begin with. After all, the gesture was to---hopefully---send him the message that she'd be there with him all the way as much as send a message to _herself_ that she could do it.

Retrieving her hand, she immediately twisted in her seat and turned to her other companion, garnering a surprised gaze from the pale-haired pilot as the sudden shift alarmed him.

"What?" he cautiously let out, nerves standing on end as he looked at her rather suspiciously.

Cagalli smiled, and it only served to unnerve Yzak more. "With all the fuss Kisaka and Mana were making a while ago, I've forgotten something."

"…I'm sure you haven't forgotten anything…"

"Of course I have! And now I remember!"

Yzak unconsciously sank deeper in his softly cushioned seat.

"Happy Valenti---" she almost cried out loud had Yzak been too slow in covering her mouth and muffling her words.

Yzak saw how surprised she was, and, no doubt, her surprise was mirrored in his face. His eyes had widened at his actions, but he had known better than to decide otherwise. When she glared like she could actually set him on fire with just a blink of an eye, he carefully released her, but not without the promise of a big box of chocolates when they returned to Earth. He might not have been a Valentine's fool, but who ever said that the chocolates were meant as a Valentine's gift? Surely this was bribery, but by how Cagalli was grinning, he knew she didn't mind being subjected to such horrid acts.

"I want a variety of chocolates, all right? Milk, white, and dark. And don't be cheap!" She gave him a wolfish grin, and Yzak had to wonder who actually won.

Satisfied, Cagalli relaxed in her seat, and she instinctively leant her head on the shoulder of the blue-haired teenager she'd come to be very fond of. She only became aware of her actions when she felt Athrun lean his head onto hers and the sound of a low and breathy whisper made it to her ears.

"Happy Valentine's, Cagalli."

**o-o**

Lacus secured the knot of her apron at the small of her back, then she turned to face Kira, only to find him skeptically eyeing the new, bright red apron with the words "Smooch the Chef" printed in bold letters at the front.

"Kira?"

The addressed frowned for a second before he looked up at the questioning face of his lovely girlfriend.

"Dearka bought it just the other day. He said it caught his eye," Lacus answered, cementing Kira's suspicion.

Kira shook his head and wore the red apron; the others were in the laundry. "Tell me something I don't know," he voiced out rhetorically.

Lacus stood straight and pressed a finger against her chin. "Okay. Mm…you look cute in it."

The Ultimate Coordinator didn't know whether to blush first or laugh, but since he couldn't exactly control the flow of his blood, he blushed while he chuckled. "Nice one."

Lacus smiled then retrieved two mixing bowls from the cupboard. She had commandeered the help of Kira to bake heart-shaped cookies for the elderly down at the Home for the Aged on 7th Avenue. Both of them knew it was Valentine's Day, but no one was panicking over how to spend their day. Aside from greeting each other that early morning, they hadn't exactly done anything out of the ordinary…at least none that Lacus was cognizant of.

Kira took one of the mixing bowls and helped Lacus with the bag of sifted flour sitting atop the counter. "Hey, Lacus, do we have an appointment at the Home for the Aged?"

"Not really. We're just delivering these cookies," she answered as she started to mix ingredients together.

The brunette smiled as he cracked an egg and separated the yolk from the white, just as Lacus had taught him a long time ago. "Hn, I was hoping you'd say that."

Lacus gazed at him, looking every inch the amused woman that she currently was. "Oh?"

Kira opened the tap and washed his hands clean after finishing his first task. "Yep." He flicked his finger in Lacus' direction, sending a few droplets of water flying her way. They shared a laugh when Lacus went for payback.

Brushing her nose dry of water droplets, the Pink Princess watched Kira's back as he walked away from her towards the fridge to retrieve a few other things. Curious of what Kira might be thinking, she stopped what she was doing and turned her attention towards the brown-haired Coordinator.

"I bet you're wondering what I'm probably up to, huh?" Kira guessed, juggling a few bottles away to uncover a medium-sized pack of whipped cream.

"If I say yes, will you tell me?" Lacus replied, her attention fully hooked.

Kira gently closed the fridge and dramatically turned towards Lacus, tossing the pack from one hand to another in a lazy fashion. "Unless I get something first, I won't tell you." He favored her a playful smirk.

Lacus pouted and Kira almost choked back his words. "Okay. What do you want?"

The brunette shrugged as insouciantly as he could. "Something you probably wouldn't be giving to anyone else any time soon."

"Hm," Lacus considered, acquiring that cute little thinking pout. "Okay."

Kira was surprised. He didn't think she'd easily agree to it…and he hadn't expected there really was something he could get from Lacus that she wouldn't give to anyone else. Now that he was curious, he opted to hold onto his joke for a longer while.

Lacus approached him in three determined strides. Pausing in front of him, she shoved her hand in the pocket of her dress then moved even closer. Kira almost gulped at their proximity as he was getting ideas of what Lacus might be planning on giving him. And right after that thought, he could feel himself burning bright red.

Lacus inched her head closer. Kira almost perceptibly shivered as her breath danced across his cheek when she neared her lips to his ear. "Keep your promise, okay?"

Kira could only nod.

Unexpectedly, Lacus pulled away and presented her pink Haro to him. "Take care of Mr. Pink, all right?"

The Ultimate Coordinator would have tripped on his own two feet had he been walking. Lacus was just too innocent for words! "Uh…well, I have something planned for us this afternoon…" he tried not to stammer as his thoughts were zooming a thousand miles per second when he realized what it was he had _really _expected her to give him. He accepted the pink toy, but it flapped its ears and flew away in seconds.

Lacus showed him a brilliant smile before leaning closer again and landing a kiss on his mouth. "You were thinking of me giving you this right?" she whispered against his lips. "Haro might be important, but this is what I'm not going to be giving to anyone else any time soon." She proceeded to wrap her arms around his neck before kissing him properly.

Kira all but lost the ability to think. He vaguely remembered the other times she herself had initiated their intimate moments, and he had to wonder why he even thought she was _that_ innocent. He didn't arrive at any answer, though, because kissing Lacus and rational thinking just didn't go together.

**o-o**

When Yzak was a kid, he loved surprises. A bag of candy from a late-night meeting. A small chocolate mousse for getting an A. A race car for cleaning his room. A new cap for no reason at all. And the list went on. As a kid, he was like everyone else, and a surprise as simple as a single bar of chocolate could make him giddier than the undiscovered-drug-induced euphoria of a certain deranged Murata Azrael.

As he grew up and well into his teenage years, it took more than a piece of candy to surprise him. His reactions started to change, but surprises were still surprises, and he loved them no matter what.

Being asked to join the ZAFT military was another surprise---a surprise he'd never been gladder to take. And other kinds of surprises soon followed his enlistment, not excluded the order to raid Heliopolis, to pilot a Gundam, and a lot more he'd probably be willing to share had he been a more patient person.

The bad surprises like losing in a battle and suddenly having to second-guess everything had been hard to deal with, but all were reasonably part of fighting in a war, and he had no deep qualms about accepting those. All he had to do was take in sedatives and he'd be heaven-happy for the rest of the night…or at least that was what Dearka wanted to believe he did every time he'd lock himself in his room to get away from Dearka's machine gun of a mouth.

In retrospect, he'd experienced more good surprises than bad ones. But as he stood in front of his mother, he was unsure whether the good would still outnumber the bad after he'd sat down and thought things over.

Yzak bit his lip to keep from screaming his head off for all the indignation that was building up inside him. Indignation and frustration for that matter. Not a healthy combination.

He rapped his knuckles once on the open wooden doors, trying to understand how she could be up and about.

"Yzak! I thought you'd be arriving much later."

Again, Yzak had to keep a tight rein on his emotions that were threatening to blow up any second.

"Tea, darling?" the woman in front of him tipped her dainty teacup towards him.

"Tea?" his eye twitched.

"Yes, tea." She took a sip. "Don't we always share a cuppa?"

Twitch.

The woman waved a hand at the maid-in-waiting as a signal for her to give Yzak his tea.

Twitch. Twitch.

"Do sit down, Yzak. I don't fancy you towering over me," she smiled.

Twitch. Twitch. Twitch.

"Well?"

"MOTHER!" the fair-head finally blew up. "What in _hell_ and it's other fourteen names are you trying pull?" he bellowed angrily.

Ezalia Jule smiled icily at his son. "Are you cursing at me, Yzak Jule?"

Yzak sighed exasperatedly. He almost wanted to rip his hair out, but found the idea too irrational. Settling for a subtler drama, he paced the length of floor he was allowed to. "Sick? You told me you were sick! It's why I came here! Because you said you were sick! Sick people don't go around offering other people tea!" he let out in a stream of hurried and scandalized words. He couldn't believe his mother had tricked him! And he fell for it…hook, line, and sinker! Dearka would have a field day calling him a mama's boy if the blonde boy ever got wind of this. "I asked the maids as soon as I got here about your health, and they all stared at me as if I were some escapist from some remote mental asylum! Know why? Because, apparently, I was so foolish to fall for your trick!"

Ezalia gently placed her teacup and matching saucer on the tea table as a gentle breeze blew from the open windows. "Calm down, Yzak."

"Calm down? Calm down! You have _got _to be kidding me!" he exclaimed, though he stopped pacing. He stood in the center of the room with one hand on a hip and the other massaging his temples, which throbbing incessantly since the moment he learned the truth. "I don't get it, Mrs. Jule," he began again, calling his mother formally as he was wont to do every time he had to remind himself the need to respect his mother…even if that said mother proved to be too sly for someone her age. "Why lie? I could've gone here even if you told me the _real_ reason."

Ezalia raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Yes," he answered firmly, though a little confused at his mother's uncertain tone.

"Even if told you I wanted you here this Valentine's so you can take your fiancée out on a date?"

Yzak was honest-to-goodness, kick-on-the-crotch floored. Did he hear her right? "Co---" he cleared his throat as he was having a hard time enunciating his words. "Come again?"

"It's natural for an engaged man to take his fiancée out on Valentine's Day," Ezalia explained matter-of-factly.

A moment of deadly silence ensued, unnerving as the calm before a storm.

"_WHAT_! Are you nuts?" hurricane Yzak went off.

"Language, Yzak," Ezalia warned, shooting his son a knowing glance.

"You faked sickness to get me here so I could take Hahnenfuss out on a _date_?"

Ezalia nodded daintily, appearing unfazed by her son's outburst.

_Crafty woman!_

As if all of his energy had been suddenly sucked out of him, Yzak Jule, a member of the Red-coat, the pilot of the Duel, a war veteran, sunk into the plush armchair across his mother, looking utterly defeated…though he very much tried to look as defiantly annoyed as possible despite himself.

"So," his mother started, after the maid offered Yzak his tea, which her son begrudgingly accepted. "Where do you plan to take the young Hahnenfuss?"

Yzak lifted his cup towards his lips, only to stare at the dark liquid distastefully. "Nowhere." He promptly placed his cup on the table.

"That won't do, Yzak."

"Of course it will."

"Are you trying my patience, my son?" Ezalia deployed her intimidating smile.

…

And Yzak had to try very hard to keep from sinking in his chair.

**o-o**

Cagalli dropped her bag on the floor as she scanned the modestly, but efficiently, furnished apartment---just like how she expected a guy's pad would look like. "So…this is where you live?"

Athrun entered the apartment and nudged Cagalli to move aside and let him through. Putting down his duffle bag beside the blonde's, he answered, "Occasionally." He surveyed the room and was glad the caretaker did a good job at keeping things neat and clean.

"Hm?"

Athrun pocketed his keys and purposed the kitchenette. "When I have more than a day off, I meant. Otherwise, I stay at the base barracks. Or at my…home…when I stray in December City." He heard her shut the front door.

"So your real residence is in December City?" she asked as she followed him through the archway.

The blue-head looked at his near-empty fridge with a dismissive eye, then he turned towards Cagalli and looked at her weirdly. "Yeah. Didn't I tell you that before?"

She glanced at the cozy dinette before bringing her attention back to the blue-head. "Don't think you've so much as whispered a letter of it."

"Hn…really? Guess it just wasn't brought up, huh?" He retrieved a bottle of distilled water from one of the fridge trays---must have been placed there by the caretaker after learning he'd be arriving. Turning the safety lid anti-clockwise and hearing the soft crackle of plastic, he filled two glasses with water. "Gotta settle for that. Fridge is out of anything good," he grinned, not wondering how his fridge could be empty when he had left it on its own for almost a year. And he, of course, didn't expect the caretaker to re-fill it; the five bottles of water inside must have been just a thoughtful act of the old guy.

Cagalli took a seat on one of the barstools and accepted the glass of water Athurn handed to her. She ran a finger over the rim before drawing unintelligible patterns on the mist that had formed on the outside of the glass. "Am not hungry anyway."

"You're not?" Athrun sounded surprised.

Cagalli instantly glared at him. "If you tell me I'm always eating and getting fat, I'll skewer you alive, no matter how gory the imagery is."

Athrun laughed, never really getting the idea that the blonde was getting fat. As it was, she seemed to have lost weight and gone skinnier. Probably from all the schoolwork and tests; not to mention that she had also started work at the Emirs' palace. No matter how minimal the work was, it was still added stress.

After the Orb Princess got over her giggles, she took a sip of water and asked, "So, what now?"

Just as she expected, Athrun's countenance grew serious. He stopped mid-sip, and seemed to have very suddenly slaked his thirst by just a few earlier gulps of water.

"Athrun…?"

The blue-head's gaze snapped towards her as if she had just caught him doing something wrong. His grip on the glass tightened for a second before relaxing. "I'd rather go…by myself."

Cagalli understood. There were just those times when being left alone to deal with one's emotions would prove to be more helpful than sharing it to others. Sitting up straight, she smiled at him warmly. "So long as you let me order pizza for dinner."

He smiled.

**o-o**

Yzak donned his silver-framed sunglasses then irritably kicked a loose pebble as he made his way towards his car. He blanched upon remembering how his mother had easily made him agree to her plans. Suffice it to say, he direly needed to learn how to _really_ stand up to the older Jule.

Jerking his car door open, he smoothly eased on his seat, and, with more patience than he first displayed, he pulled his door shut. He gripped the wheel with both hands, stretched his arms, and then took a deep, cleansing breath before relaxing his grip and turning on the ignition. He stepped on the accelerator, and by how his car sped off the driveway, it was evident that the cleansing breath he had taken didn't do anything good.

The gate opened up only a few seconds before Yzak burst out of the property, and had their gates not been automated, he'd have a hard time explaining to his mother why he wrecked the innocent piece of metal framework.

Driving down the one-way lane towards the address he didn't think he'd come to need, he couldn't help but scowl again. He really didn't like spending time with Shiho Hahnenfuss. Although she could provide enough entertainment, he didn't fancy being comfortable with someone he didn't choose to marry but was forced to marry anyway. For him, it was like totally surrendering to the whims of others. But, then again, his mother wasn't just one of those "others."

He slowed down upon seeing the high-rise apartment described by the address. Parking his car at a vacant space, he turned off the ignition and went out of the comfort of his vehicle. Looking up at the soaring building in front of him, he'd decided things couldn't get worse. At least now he didn't have to think of how to treat Shiho out since his mother had already oh-so-nicely told him where to take her.

Upon reaching the front desk, he asked for the receptionist to phone Shiho, but before the receptionist could reach for the headset, one of the elevator doors a few feet behind the counter opened, and out stepped Shiho, imperiously adorned in the way a real ZAFT soldier should be: shorts, shirt, and rubber slippers.

Striding over the front desk, she gathered her hair and stuck them through the hole of her cap before adjusting the visor over her eyes. "Hey, I'ma step out to buy some groceries. There's a mail arriving for me later. Can you keep it here instead of putting it in my mailbox? I might forget to get it," she said, not noticing the fair-head standing at the other end of the counter.

"Of course, Ms. Hahnenfuss. And you have a visitor," the receptionist answered, gesturing towards the silver-haired Red-coat.

"Oh?" She turned towards where the receptionist was gesturing, and she almost slipped on the shiny marble floor. Good thing she had a solid grip of the glass top of the counter. She hurriedly returned her gaze at the woman and said her thanks before promptly pulling a surprised Yzak out the revolving glass doors.

Yzak got over his surprise at being pulled quick enough to assess the damage done to his button-down shirt.

"What are you doing here?" Shiho asked, silently watching him brush over the wrinkles she had made on his shirt and not feeling the least bit guilty of being the cause of it.

Yzak scowled at her. "Is this how you greet your former commander? By yanking him around?"

Shiho snorted in an unlady-like fashion. "Whatever. You said it yourself. 'Former.' Besides, since I'm engaged---" she shuddered, "---to you, we stand on equal footing."

"Wait 'til we get back to active-duty. This 'equal footing' you speak of goes directly down the freaking' drain." He scowled again. "And you make being engaged to me sound so disgusting."

Shiho was puzzled to suddenly feel guilty about that. "It's not that. Look---"

Yzak waved a dismissive hand, effectively cutting her off. "I don't care, Hahnenfuss."

Again, she was confused at the stabbing effect of his words.

"Let's get going."

"Get going where?"

This time, Yzak was the one who pulled her towards his car. "No time to talk."

Shiho was startled, but she regained her wits just in time before Yzak could try to shove her inside his car. She pulled at his grip and he thankfully let go, a hand automatically going to his hip as a sign of thinly veiled impatience.

"What are you doing?" she irritably asked, firmly planting her feet on the concrete.

"It's Valentine's," he succinctly replied, as if that would explain his actions effectively. His tone sounded like he was talking to an idiot, though he didn't purposely do it---it just came out.

Shiho raised an eyebrow then cried indignantly as Yzak's tone sank in, "So? Does that give you the right to haul me to wherever you need to go? I think _not_!"

He rolled his eyes. "Are you stupid?"

She gasped, quite offended. "Why y---"

"I'm taking you out on a _date_," he cut her off very effectively.

It took a few good beats before Shiho's mind fully processed what he said. "…Say what?"

**o-o**

Kira escorted Lacus out of the public transport they had ridden to the open field at the west part of mainland Orb. He'd thought about borrowing one of the Athha's cars, but he remembered how Lacus seemed to enjoy riding public transports---she'd said she liked seeing different people from different walks of life. Bearing good judgment, he'd chosen to ride in a public transport, and, as expected, Lacus had no complaints.

"Where are we?" Lacus asked, her ponytail swaying behind her back irregularly as the winds continued to roll.

"Just wait,' Kira replied, smiling as he led Lacus to the makeshift entrance. He proceeded to offer their tickets to the teenager behind the long, informal table.

"Welcome to the Valentine's fair!" he greeted the couple. "Have fun!" He then directed them towards the part where most of the activities were happening.

"Fair?" Lacus voiced out as she and Kira walked towards the area filled with different colorful booths and people going about their business.

"Yep. It's this charity thing. All the proceeds would go to three different beneficiaries. I saw their flyer on the way home the other day, and I thought I'd buy us tickets."

Lacus smiled. "Wow! That's so nice! Thank you, Kira."

"Don't thank me just yet. You haven't seen the surprise." He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before redirecting her to another path towards the open field where a few people had gathered.

As soon as they arrived to where Kira was leading them, Lacus saw a humongous flattened balloon being prepped by some uniformed men.

"I hope you haven't ridden in one of these," Kira said, smiling as he saw the delight in the songstress' face.

Lacus couldn't get her eyes off the balloon as the men started pumping hot air in it. "No… No, I don't think I have." She turned towards him. "Are we riding on one?"

Kira smiled meaningfully.

Lacus squeezed his hand affectionately in return. "Really? Wow, I can't wait!"

A man in a jumpsuit approached them and extended his hand, which Kira shook. "Mr. Yamato?"

"Yes, that's me."

The man smiled. "I assume this is Ms. Clyne?" he directed at Lacus, and the pink-head nodded. "Lovely lady. Just as I've hear from this young man," he smiled, making both Kira and Lacus blush a cute shade of rose.

"Thank you," Lacus uttered before sending Kira an appreciative smile.

The man smiled at her then turned to Kira. "It'll take around twenty minutes to get the balloon ready. Is it okay you wait a while?"

"No problem," Kira answered, to which the man nodded before walking away and heading back to supervise the preparation of the balloon.

"You arranged for this, Kira?"

Kira looked around and saw no chairs scattered, so he removed his jacket and laid it on the grass, sitting on it before pulling Lacus down beside him. "Yep. Gotta make this day special somehow," he grinned.

"You didn't have to. You know that." The songstress picked the blade of grass that had stuck to her pant leg.

"I know, but I wanted to. And I think it's gonna be fun, yeah?"

Lacus couldn't help but be infected by the brunette's bright grin. "Yes, I believe so. Thank you, Kira." She ran her fingers over the smooth blade before letting the wind carry it away.

Kira threw his arms back and planted his palms flat on the ground barely covered by his jacket. He leant backwards and squinted against the afternoon sun. "I'm kind of worried about Athrun, you know," he said, changing the topic.

Lacus sighed. "We all are, Kira. Sometimes, you'll think it's so inopportune that his mother's death anniversary falls on Valentine's Day. But Athrun's strong." Lacus turned to him. "Besides, Cagalli's with him right now."

Kira chuckled. "That's what I'm worried about."

Lacus jokingly poked him on the side, and Kira immediately jerked in response, making her giggle. "Meanie!"

"Knowing my sister, Athrun probably won't have time to brood. Hopefully, that's a good thing."

Lacus glanced skyward, a small smile still grazing her lips. "You know it is." She adjusted her position then gently laid her head on the junction between Kira's neck and shoulder, enjoying their time together as they waited for their ride to be ready.

Kira, as much as his position allowed, glanced at the girl comfortably snuggled against him. He smiled to himself upon spying the content expression of the pink-haired songstress. By the looks of everything, they were sure to have an even better time later.

**o-o**

"Stop by the supermarket. I have to pick up a few things," Shiho deadpanned as she sat _patiently_ strapped in Yzak's car.

"Excuse me?" Yzak had a hard time believing his ears. Had she just given him a command?

"So you're deaf now?" Shiho retorted, apparently still ticked off by what had happened earlier. After she'd recovered from the shock brought about by Yzak announcing that they were going out on a date, she'd promptly laughed him off, then, in return, he'd _promptly_ pushed her inside his car, shutting the door after he'd put on the child-safety lock so Shiho couldn't open it from the inside.

"Who died and made you the boss of me?"

Shiho lost it and impulsively grabbed the wheel, surprising Yzak and making the car swerve dangerously to the other lane. Luckily, there weren't a lot of vehicles around.

"Are you suicidal, woman!" Yzak cried, shifting between glaring at her and eyeing the road as he got the car back on the right lane. "I wonder how you even passed the psychological test of the military!"

She glared at him. "You won't let up!"

"Why would I listen to you anyway? Especially now that you've proven how deranged you are!"

Shiho, steaming, clenched her fists and decided to turn her back on him, suddenly finding the scenery outside very interesting.

"We won't go to the supermarket. We're going to a nice, fancy restaurant and celebrate Valentine's like how normal people do."

Shiho ignored him.

"Understand, Hahnenfuss?"

His words fell on deaf ears.

He couldn't care less. At least now he'd be driving in silence _and_ in peace. If he'd known it would be this difficult to take Shiho Hahnenfuss out, he'd have flown back to Earth in a blink of an eye. He'd acknowledged that he'd done a multitude of wrong things during the war, but being engaged to Shiho was too much punishment. He didn't believe that he deserved such torture, not when, despite everything, he'd been an obedient son.

_Damn it._

After a few more minutes of speeding down roads, they arrived at the fanciest and most expensive restaurant in Aprilius City. Just as his mother had suggested.

He took off his seatbelt and made to get out of the confines of his sports car. He stopped, however, when he didn't sense any movement from Shiho. Turning towards her with a weary expression plastered on his face, he bit out, "What now?"

Shiho remained silent.

"Since when do you do drama?"

Still she ignored him.

Yzak bristled. If there were one thing that annoyed him more than Zala, it was being ignored. "Shiho Hahnenfuss!"

"What!" she finally spoke, sounding equally pissed.

"Do you plan to stay here the whole time?" he grounded out, trying to rein in his irritation, but was failing quite miserably.

Shiho glared at him. "Not if I have a choice." She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not giving you any, so get out."

"No."

"Why?"

She looked at him like he'd suddenly grown horns and a tail. "Do you honestly think I'd get in that restaurant in this outfit?" she gestured at herself.

As if realizing just now what she was wearing, he hung his head. He could answer 'yes' since it would be her who would be more embarrassed by her being underdressed, but then he realized it wouldn't look good on his image either if he went in with her looking like she'd just finished watching a baseball game on TV.

He sighed exasperatedly. "Why didn't you say so earlier, dammit!" He waved off the valet that had appeared by his door. Grumbling about how some people were born to vex the hell out of other people, he buckled up and stepped on the gas.

After a few minutes of driving and arguing with Shiho, Yzak wondered how he was now finding himself folding up his sleeves as he waited for Shiho to decide whether the detergent in the blue packaging was better than the yellow one. He sighed inwardly. _Man, I don't know how I get myself in these kinds of situations!_

Shiho abandoned trying to pick between blue and yellow and turned her attention to the detergent in an orange packaging. She cocked her head to the side as if considering whether to finally buy it or not, and Yzak needed to bite his lip to keep himself from screaming in the middle of the laundry aisle.

Having neatly folded his sleeves up to his forearms and having his patience stretched so thin, he wheeled the cart she had wheedled him into pushing, forward, grabbing the detergent in the orange packaging. He then pulled Shiho away after he had haphazardly thrown the object inside the cart. "Moving along, Hahnenfuss," he grounded out as patiently as he could, which still didn't sound as patient anyway.

"Hey! You---"

"You should know better than to judge based on the packaging. They're all the same anyway." He let go of her elbow when he was sure she wouldn't be going back to the detergent aisle. He maneuvered their cart to avoid hitting a kid playing race-car with his wagon.

"I know that!"

Yzak eyed her disbelievingly.

"Don't give me that, Jule. I just wanted something that looks nice just for the heck of it."

"I've allowed myself to push your cart around, the least you can do is be quick about your business," he frowned, walking a bit faster and leaving Shiho behind. He had taken the time to change from his comfortable jeans and shirt into dress pants and shirt so he could take her to a nice restaurant, only to later find himself over-dressed in a supermarket filled with people dressed in their simple grocery-shopping clothes. He'd even been stared at and pointed at by a couple of kids who were down to their play clothes at the entrance of the market. Good thing he'd spared himself from wearing a tie, or he'd die from Shiho making fun of him.

Shiho jogged to catch up, putting a hand on his arm to slow him down when she fell into step beside him. She bit her lip and removed her hand when his eyes darted towards the part where she was touching him. "I guess I should thank you for that and be sorry about how obnoxious I'm being, but you're too hot-tempered and quick to ignite your own fuse."

Yzak paused to wait as Shiho got a carton of milk from a shelf. "And I'm supposed to listen to this lecture of yours…why again?" he sneered, too proud to back down and too stubborn to see Shiho's point.

The brunette almost pitched the milk carton at him, but she restrained herself. "You're making it too hard to get along with you. I don't like our engagement as much as you hate it, so don't act like you're the only one injusticed here."

As Shiho frowned at him and walked away to finish her grocery shopping, his rational mind took over. Gods, he hated it when other people were right and he wasn't!

**o-o**

Lacus kept a tight hold on the edge of the woven box as she looked down from the height they were at. They were so high up from the ground that the people below were mere dots on the green landscape.

"Don't lean too far out. You might fall," Kira mildly warned, enjoying the cool winds that blew around them. He was glad he decided to take her on a balloon ride as he could witness just how excited she was.

Lacus returned beside him with a big grin on her face. "I know I've told you how exciting this is, but I'm going to tell you again anyway." She threw herself into Kira's waiting arms, as giddy as a kid given his first bicycle. "This is really great, Kira! I know I'm acting like a child, but…" she trailed off.

Kira chuckled. "You're cute like this."

Lacus pulled away and looked Kira in the eye, a faint blush tinting her cheeks. "You think so?"

For the second time that day, Kira was surprised by Lacus' answer. He reddened. "Yeah…"

Lacus' juvenile grin turned into a modest smile as she slowly backed away and stood straight in front of him. She moved to swipe the hair that had fallen over her eyes, only to be beaten to it by Kira.

Before Kira could retrieve his hand, Lacus took it in hers and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "Hey, Kira?"

"Hm?"

"Happy Heart's Day," she whispered, leaning closer to give him a peck on the side of his mouth.

"Happy Heart's," Kira murmured back, encircling his hand around her waist and pulling her closer. When he pulled away, he dropped a kiss on the crown of her head, and she snuggled against his chest.

"Thank you for this, Kira." She felt the vibration in his chest as he hummed his acknowledgement.

For a while, they were silent, reveling in the comfort that each brought to the other. Kira stared at the distance, trying to shake off the thoughts that had suddenly barged in his mind.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Lacus interrupted, looking up to see his distant expression.

Kira remained quiet. The sun was beginning to set in the horizon, splashing dark yellow hues tinged with vermillion on the Earth. The breeze was turning cooler, and the time for them to land was coming nearer.

"Back in space," Kira finally spoke, "you did me a huge favor I haven't had the chance to reciprocate."

His voice was low, almost a breathy whisper that danced across Lacus' cheek when he turned to face her. She reached up to mirror his earlier gesture as his bangs fell like curtain over his expressive eyes.

Kira instinctively leant on the warmth of her hand when she rested it against his cheek, remembering her altruistic actions for his benefit back when they had to fight in a war that had claimed their innocence. Too altruistic compared to his selfish judgments.

"You've done a lot of things for me, too, Kira," Lacus said, and had her hand not been touching his face, she would've missed the way he shook his head almost imperceptibly.

"It's not enough." A muscled ticked in jaw as he clenched his teeth. "You know why? Because what you did is beyond all that I can ever offer you." He took a deep breath then leant down and touched his forehead against hers. "You…you saved my soul," he finished, his words barely above whisper against the soft howling of the wind.

Lacus' heart skipped a beat at how serious Kira was, and at how grateful he sounded. All those times she did what she did because her feelings for this certain Coordinator dictated her actions. She stood by his side despite how her presence had been shadowed by his memories of Fllay, but not once did she consider how great an impact she had made in his life.

"You pulled me out of my depression even when I myself couldn't seem to do that. And for that, I'd eternally be thankful."

Lacus traced an invisible path down his jaw line. "And that's all because of one thing." Lacus wound her arms around Kira's neck and hugged him.

"One thing?" he asked, suddenly confused.

Lacus smiled against his neck. "It's because I've let my heart choose it's own path. I'm just glad it found you along the way."

Kira held onto Lacus as if life depended on it. He hadn't expected their Valentine's to turn out this way. He'd thought none of the past would be brought up, just to find out later on that he'd even be the one to dig into the past. He might have wanted things to be laid out differently, but it didn't, and, surprisingly enough, he didn't think he'd change anything.

The Ultimate Coordinator sighed, just as the beginnings of a content smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. And as the sun progressively sank down the skyline, he vowed to always love this woman he held so protectively in his arms.

_Always._

**o-o**

The cloak of darkness had already covered the city by the time Yzak and Shiho arrived at the latter's apartment building, and Yzak, somehow, dreaded going home to his mother. Maybe it was because he knew at the back of his mind that Ezalia Jule would drill him for information on how their supposed date went. A situation he didn't quite think he'd find comfortable to be in.

Shiho stepped out the car and was about to retrieve the bag of groceries from the backseat when Yzak, much to Shiho's surprise, offered to get it himself. He might not like Shiho that much, but he wasn't as ungentlemanly as some might think.

Shiho led the way inside, greeting the receptionist as she bade them good evening.

"What floor are you on?" he asked as they waited for an elevator car to reach the ground floor.

Before Shiho could answer, the elevator doors swished open. "Twenty-fifth," she answered, putting a hand out to keep the doors from closing. "But I'll take it from here." She reached of her grocery bag and Yzak didn't argue.

For an awkward second, they stood there then Yzak finally decided that no goodbyes were needed and turned his back on her to walk away.

"Jule," Shiho called out after the fair-head had taken a mere step away from her.

Yzak stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. "What?"

She rummaged for a short while inside the bag then pressed the stall button on the elevator panel. Knowing that Yzak would probably not accept whatever it was she would give him, she stepped off the elevator, took his hand, and placed a single bar of dark chocolate on his palm. "A little thank you for letting me have my way."

Yzak didn't quite know how to respond, and before he could articulate a reply, the elevator doors had already closed, leaving him facing his own reflection on the gold surface. Casting his eyes downwards to look at the sweet she had given him, he shook his head. _Silly woman._

Tossing the bar of chocolate in the air and catching it again, he turned to go, and as he entered his car, he came to a conclusion the Shiho Hahnenfuss might not be that annoying to spend time with. With that in mind, he sped off into the night.

_Maybe this isn't such a bad surprise after all…_

**o-o**

Cagalli changed the channel as soon as the commercials were on. The apartment was silent save for the noise of the TV and the occasional sigh she seemed to be heaving every now and then. Athrun had been gone for more than four hours, and the sun had already set, leaving the place dark as Cagalli had yet to turn on the lights.

Just as she switched back to the previous channel, the show she'd been half-heartedly watching came back on, and she watched for a few second before deciding she didn't like the darkness.

_What, am I in soap opera to like wallowing in just the TV lights?_ She rolled her eyes before switching on the light, squinting to adjust her eyes at the sudden illumination inside the room. Their bags were still resting on where they had dumped it upon reaching the apartment. For some reason, the idea of putting them inside the bedroom seemed to put her off.

She shuffled back to the black couch and plopped down. She blushed as she finally acknowledged why she didn't want to enter Athrun's bedroom again. She'd already peaked inside as soon as Athrun had gone, and a million thoughts zoomed in a painful speed around her head upon landing her eyes on the bed inside the room. _Bed._ Only _one_ bed. And it wasn't even big enough to allow them personal spaces. If Athrun were gentlemanly enough---which she was sure he was---he'd take the couch come bedtime. But then she knew she'd probably insist on him taking the bed and her, the couch, since it was his apartment. And when that happened, Athrun would refuse, and they would either end up both falling asleep on the same bed or both falling asleep on the couch from arguing their strengths off.

Cagalli became more flustered. They'd already slept on the same bed the night before New Year's, but not once did they talk about it, most probably because they'd both been too flustered that morning upon waking up beside each other. To think she'd thought they were mature enough in their relationship! It wasn't as if the were going to do something else aside from sleeping, but she was a girl and he was a boy, and her teenage mind was too stubborn to stop entertaining unwanted thoughts. She made a face and blamed the season.

_Argh! Why'd it have to be Valentine's today!_

In the end, she had hurriedly decided to shut the door and wait until Athrun returned before thinking of these silly thoughts.

Cagalli shifted in her position and her stomach grumbled, making her remember that she hadn't dialed yet the number of that pizzeria Athrun had left her. She didn't really feel like eating alone, so she got up and headed to the kitchenette to get a drink of water in an attempt to appease her protesting stomach.

She glanced at the clock after her not-so-filling drink of water: 7:30. Gods, she was hungry. Dinner time at the Athha household was around six in the evening, and since she hadn't gone out on any wild adventure after the war and after their settlement, her stomach got accustomed to eating an early dinner.

Despite her condition, she couldn't get it in her to wish that Athrun would return home soon. She knew how important this day was to him, and she had suppressed her own wants because she didn't want to appear selfish to the person who'd been the least selfish to her. She sighed in resignation. She could only imagine the sorrow that the former Justice pilot might be feeling.

She trudged back to living room and was greatly surprised to hear the doorbell go off. Rushing to get the door, she almost tripped on their bags, but managed to get a hold of the doorknob before she totally lost her balance. She jerked the door open, and didn't quite know what to feel when the person at the door frowned at her.

"What?" she frowned back, placing her hands on her hips in an impatient gesture.

"Didn't I tell you not to open the door without looking at the peeping hole?" Athrun entered when Cagalli stepped back to let him through.

Cagalli closed the door and shot Athrun an inquisitive glance. "How'd you know I didn't peep?"

Athrun made his way towards the kitchenette. "You just said so yourself just now."

"Huh?" the blonde stood alone in the living room, befuddled. Then it clicked. She marched towards Athrun's direction and occupied the barstool she had occupied earlier that day, glaring at the blue-head who was innocently fixing something he brought home with him. "I hate it when you do that."

Athrun chuckled. "And still you fall for it."

She rolled her eyes. "It's not like I know you're baiting me or something."

He shrugged, then seemed to look for something he deemed missing.

"What're you looking for?"

"I thought you ordered pizza?"

"I…didn't."

"Oh? Why not? So you haven't eaten dinner yet?" He eyed her curiously, and was both amused and puzzled when Cagalli instantly turned red. "Cagalli?" He began to worry as the room wasn't hot for the blonde to be flustered.

"Ah---I-I--- So what did you bring?" she veered off their topic.

Athrun raised an eyebrow in return, and Cagalli promptly deflated, although she was still blushing an adorable shade of red.

"Fine! I didn't…I didn't wanna eat alone! There! Happy now?" She averted her eyes and chose to stare at the very interesting microwave oven. She, however, spied at the corner of her eyes that smile Athrun carefully reserved only for her, and Cagalli absent-mindedly began to fan herself. "Did you turn on the heater or something?" She immediately covered her mouth with both hands as she realized what she had just uttered.

Athrun laughed. "Did you see me touch the remote?"

At that, Cagalli's embarrassment heightened. She opened her mouth but no words were made audible.

The blue-head toned down his chuckles and leant across the kitchen counter, much like he did earlier. In an unexpected movement, he kissed Cagalli on the nose, pulling away right after before she could even react. "Good thing I thought of taking out Chinese, huh?" He lifted the red paper bag and gave it a little shake for the Orb Princess to see.

Stunned, Cagalli could only nod.

With a smile still lingering on his lips, Athrun proceeded to empty a small container of shrimp dumplings on a plate, before preparing the chili sauce he bought with it. He placed them in front of Cagalli then plucked the two rice-in-a-box take-outs from the paper bag. Going around the counter to sit on the empty barstool beside Cagalli, he handed her one of the boxes and a pair of chopsticks.

"Uh, thanks…" Cagalli finally croaked out, separating the chopsticks and opening the box of rice.

They ate in companionable silence until Athrun decided to break it.

"So, how did you spend your day?" he asked, almost sounding detached.

"I mostly watched TV…"

"Hn…"

"Athrun," Cagalli started before he could speak again.

"Yeah?"

"How..." she faltered. "How are you?" She could see how his grip on the chopsticks tightened, seemingly an unconscious reaction.

"I'm good."

"Athrun…"

Athrun poised his chopsticks above the plate of dumplings before picking up one and depositing it on Cagalli's rice, almost in an attempt to stall. She followed his actions with her eyes, but returned her gaze to him the moment he retrieved his chopsticks.

"There's really nothing to say, Cagalli. It's…it's over anyway."

Before she could voice out what was on her mind, he turned towards her, and there in his emerald orbs she could see that he didn't want to talk about it…at least not now. Biting her lip, she inwardly sighed in resignation. She knew he'd come around to talking about his feelings someday, and when he did, she'd make sure she was there for him.

Cagalli cocked her head to the side. "All right… So, we're officially celebrating Valentine's?" she said, letting go…for now.

He shrugged, once more letting a smile play on his lips. "If dining over Chinese take-out in an empty kitchen suits you just fine as a Valentine celebration, I guess…this is a date then."

Cagalli chewed on her bottom lip, thinking it over. "This is the first time I've a date for Valentine's, so it's not like I have any standards," she confessed light-heartedly, beaming in return.

"So you're saying that a lot of your firsts will be with me," he almost stated, giving her a cocky grin.

Cagalli's eyes widened as she blushed. "Don't get too full of yourself, Zala!"

"Oh, I'm not. I'm merely stating the facts."

With nothing else to defend herself, she opted for sticking her tongue out at him. He just laughed at her. As the night progressed, Athrun and Cagalli spent their evening in the kitchenette, trading silly stories and occasionally teasing each other and seeing who could make the other blush and stutter more. Nothing too sweet, nothing too mushy in their celebration of their first Valentine's together. No fancy restaurants, no flowers, no gifts. Just the two of them in a nondescript kitchen over simple Chinese take-out, yet it was the best Valentine's they'd had in their sixteen years of existence.

"Hey Athrun…what about the bed?"

"What about the bed?" He raised an effectively teasing eyebrow.

And Cagalli thought she'd never blushed so much in her life. _Ooh boy…_

**o-o**

The Athha mansion was devoid of teenagers except for Dearka, who was munching on a cookie as he talked on the phone.

"_Do you think the others are having a grand time celebrating this day?"_ Miriallia asked after greeting the former Buster pilot a Happy Valentine's. She'd promised to call him as soon as she got to London, but her excited cousin had taken too much of her time, and only now that it was already late in the evening did she get the chance to ring Dearka.

Dearka shifted in his seat and glanced at the full moon outside the window. He transferred the headpiece to the other ear and answered, "'Grand' might have a different meaning if we're talking about Yzak, but seriously…I've a feeling they all are."

-The End

Author's notes:

Thanks for reading and I'm really sorry about the super, duper long delay. Blame the university and the little fact that I suddenly had a super hard time writing Kira/Lacus interplay! Haha.

Mush, slight drama, and crazy moments all rolled into one. So what do you think? Hope I didn't disappoint. If I did, I'd gladly accept flames. Honest. Haha.

Cheers!


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